CBN HOF Series: Jim Baba on Larry Walker

In this, the 23rd article in our Hall of Fame series, longtime Baseball Canada executive director Jim Baba pays tribute to 2020 Hall of Famer Larry Walker. Walker will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on September 8, alongside Derek Jeter, Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller.

***

Steve Rogers on Marvin Miller ||||| Mario Ziino on Ted Simmons ||||| Buck Showalter on Derek Jeter ||||| “The Legend” Dick Groch signed Jeter, plus scouting report ||||| Captain Jeter was Mr. November ||||| Jeter held in high regard by baseball brethren

***

Larry Walker on Larry Walker, Jr. ||||| Clint Hurdle on Larry Walker IIIII Stubby Clapp on Larry Walker IIIII Gene Glynn on Larry Walker IIIII Allan Simpson on Larry Walker IIIII Coquitlam coach Don Archer on Larry Walker ||||| HOFer La Russa on HOFer Larry Walker IIIII Neil Munro on Larry Walker ||||| Kevin Glew on Larry Walker |||| Former GM Dan Duquette on Larry Walker ||||| Scout Greg Miner on Larry Walker ||||| Andy Lawrence on Larry Walker

***

September 7, 2021

By Jim Baba

Baseball Canada Executive Director

What has Larry Walker meant to baseball in Canada?

Where does one start this conversation? Well as a former parks and recreation director for the town of Kindersley, Sask., I will start in 1984, when Kindersley played host to the World Junior championships.

This event included the likes of Jack McDowell, Albert (Joey) Belle with Team USA and former Toronto Blue Jay, Juan Guzman pitching for the Dominican Republic.

Yet there was a Canadian player, Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, BC) that also attracted the attention of scouts that were in attendance, including Jim Fanning of the Montreal Expos’ front office. Although Canada didn’t fare very well in the event, Walker had impressed many with his raw talent and was later signed by the Expos after an event in BC gave them confirmation on his ability.

As I moved forward to a career with Baseball Sask as its technical director starting in 1989, I was able to see the impact that Larry had on young players competing in our sport. Having done many players clinics throughout my 11 years with Baseball Sask and the question that always seemed to come up during those clinics was, “Who was your favourite player?” Walker’s name seemed to be on 50% of the youngsters’ list.

I think that Larry gave rise to the young players in Canada seeing that they also could be a “Larry Walker” and make it in this game. Yes, we have had other Canadian players in the majors before and during this time but with Walker playing for the first Canadian franchise, the Montreal Expos, he became very well-known across the country.

His stature as a star player with the Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals, only helped increase his importance to the young players in Canada.

It wasn’t just young players that Walker impacted, I think that Larry’s success led to more Canadian coaches also taking the game more seriously and starting programs that could help give young Canadian players the opportunity to play more games in a year.

I think back to reading about Walker talking about only playing 10-to-15 games a year when he was 16-17, well his impact helped in leading to these programs setting up and offering players the chance to play 50-to-60 games a year. Of course, that impact was not seen at the big-league level until many years later when I think Canada peaked at having 23 different Canadians play in majors in one year.

As Larry’s career wound down, his impact on baseball in Canada and Baseball Canada only intensified. He would lend his expertise to many National teams including all four Word Baseball Classic teams that Canada had put together. Not only did he impact these players but even in my role as executive director of Baseball Canada his presence and personality let me know that I was in the presence of someone that meant a lot to baseball in Canada but was a Hall of Fame person as well.

His impact on the many Canadians he helped coach on our national teams, can only be acknowledged by the handle that they attached to him, “Sir” Larry Walker. He meant that much to each one of them.

The saying goes that Larry Walker bleeds Canadian red blood and nothing shows that more than a couple of instances I have had a chance to witness. In Italy, Canada enjoyed immense success at the 2009 Baseball World Cup and won the bronze medal for the first medal at a WBSC Senior World competition ever. I was able to see the coaching staff jump for joy when the last out was made and then saw the staff in their dressing room after and no one had a bigger smile on their face than Larry.

My final moment was when Pete Orr (Newmarket, Ont.) had scored the winning run in that bizarre play to end the gold medal game at the 2015 Pan Am games. One photographer captured Larry running in from his first base coaching box jumping for joy and that moment will always stick with me. Was he a Canadian thru and thru, you bet!!

As he is finally recognized with his induction ceremony on Wednesday, I leave you with this:

Impact on Canadian Baseball - Tremendous and ongoing.

Impact on Baseball Canada - Tremendous and ongoing.

Larry Walker, the person, never wants to steal the limelight but he is one Hall of Fame person in this writer’s mind.

* * *

Jim Baba is headed down the retirement road after more than two decades at Baseball Canada at the end of this year.

Baba (Moose Jaw, Sask.) did not fall from his family’s tree. He slid down the bark picking up a love of baseball. His father Farris loved the game so much he changed Jim’s birthday from Aug. 6 to July 31 so he could sign up for Little League. No wonder his son always looked so young. Farris was a winner of the Baseball Sask special award of merit.

Baba, a University of Saskatchewan grad, has served 21 years as Baseball Canada’s executive director. Baba was an assistant coach for the 1991 Pan American Games before taking over as the head coach of the Baseball Canada national team from 1993-98 as well as 2003 and 2005, with Canada winning bronze at the 1994 World University Games.

As executive director, Canada qualified for the Olympics in 2004 and 2008 and won the men’s Pan-Am Games in 2011 and 2015 with Ernie Whitt and Greg Hamilton at the controls. Canada began a women’s program under Andre Lachance in 2004 and owns the world’s No. 2 ranking. It is also under his reign that the Challenger Series for players with physical and cognitive disabilities has begun.

Baba was an outfielder with Yakima Valley College in Yakima, Wash. leading led the team in hitting his second season and winning the conference title in 1976. He returned home to play senior ball on the same diamond as the legendary Ervin Doerksen. He was part of a Saskatchewan Mens League championship team in Moose Jaw. He played for the Moose Jaw Devons and Regals, learning from Ned Andreoni.

In 1989, he coached Saskatchewan in the Canada Games. Next was a job with Baseball Saskatchewan and then Baseball Canada.

Baba rose on the international scene as a technical director and was supposed to be the man in charge at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He served on the Gender Equity committee.

Baba was inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame as an individual in 2007 and in 2015 as a member of the Devons/Regals. Then, he was elected to the Moose Jaw and District Sports Hall of Fame at Mosaic Place in 2019.